The booming field of X Ray technology attracts a lot of people to make a career in this field. One of the major reasons behind this is the lucrative salary offered to the X Ray technicians. This field has grown at a very fast rate in the past few years if compared to other industries.
The salary of an X Ray technician greatly depends on the experience of a person in the field. Apart from this, his efficiency to handle various X Ray procedures always plays an important role in deciding the salary. Experience is counted in terms of the number of years one has served in this field.
Average Salary
The salary for an X Ray technician who doesn’t hold any certification ranges between $33,000 to $50,000 but, for the certified technicians it’s much higher and they can expect a salary falling between $30000 to $48,000.
Highest Income in California
As per a survey conducted by American Society of Radiological Technologists on the salary of X Ray technicians, the average salary of an X Ray technician in the United States of America is $58000 on an annual basis. The highest income is received by X Ray professionals in the state of California which is around $75000 per year and the lowest income of $45600 is paid in West Virginia. However, salary also depends to a large extent on the duties performed by the X Ray technician in the field as well as his expertise in that specific area.
Depends on Knowledge and certified degree
The X Ray technicians who have knowledge about various diagnostic imaging procedures have higher chances of getting a job opportunity with lucrative salary.
Apart from this, now day’s students have the convenience of getting formal training through courses related to radiography in various hospitals, colleges and schools of the USA. The online information available about these schools eases the process and helps the students in choosing the best option according to their needs. Depending on the need and the kind of career one aspires to choose, one can opt for a
certificate program or an associate degree or bachelor’s degree program.
Need to be Licensed
Almost all the states of the USA want the X Ray degree holders to be licensed to work as approved X Ray technicians. However, every state has a different policy and it varies according to the laws of the state.
Mostly, X Ray technicians are employed in hospitals but, the number of vacancies for them has increased in the physician’s office to a large extent in the past few years.
The work of an X Ray technician is mainly to conduct diagnostic imaging with the use of X Ray technology but, now days various other advancements are added in the field like computed tomography, imaging with magnetic resonance effect and mammography. So, knowledge about these fields affects the salary to a great extent.
X Ray technicians are also called radiographers as their primary job is to take the desired human body image by making the patient lie in different poses on the X Ray plate. The X Ray proves to be of immense help in the proper diagnosis of the disease.
The X Ray technologist follows the directions of the physician properly, while exposing the image on the X-Ray plate. They follow the precaution for protecting themselves and the co-workers from excessive radiological exposures. X Ray technician maintains record of the patients exposed besides keeping the machine well maintained.
Ability to Handle Complex Tasks
Experienced X Ray technicians with mastery in the field are offered complex tasks like fluoroscopy examination which is conducted by applying a radioactive solution which enables the physician to view various soft tissues of the patient body.
So, a person should always try to gain maximum expertise with certified degree in X Ray field to earn lucrative salary as an X Ray technician.